I wonder if Chinese tech students who are unable to find jobs in sensitive sector in America will have to return to China, leading to a reverse brain drain.<p>The Chinese nuclear weapons program and missile program were both helped greatly when Qian Xuesen[1], one of the co-founder of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, returned to China during the Red Scare in the 1950s.<p>[1] <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qian_Xuesen" rel="nofollow">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qian_Xuesen</a>
In electronics, the success of areas like Shenzhen and the relative expense of engineering in the US has decimated non-defense industry.
In 2002, there were 385,000 electrical engineers in the US. In 2014, there were only 300,000. (<a href="https://www.computerworld.com/article/2487847/what-stem-shortage--electrical-engineering-lost-35-000-jobs-last-year.html" rel="nofollow">https://www.computerworld.com/article/2487847/what-stem-shor...</a>)
Why should foreign students expect to work in relatively expensive industries that are losing employees in the US?
A prominent Beijing scholar who recently fled to the United States has warned that China was sending "spies" to American universities, and urged US institutions to tread carefully on academic co-operation.<p><a href="https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1437005/expelled-peking-university-professor-warns-us-universities-over-educating" rel="nofollow">https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1437005/expelled-pek...</a>
From Wikipedia: According to Robert Hannigan, former Director of the Government Communications Headquarters, Chinese hackers have engaged in economic espionage against British universities and engineering companies, on behalf of the Chinese government.<p>What better instrument than a graduate student?<p>Sure, we want to be open and inclusive to everyone, but don't be stupid. Don't let the country that literally partners up with North Korea (<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China%E2%80%93North_Korea_relations" rel="nofollow">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China%E2%80%93North_Korea_rela...</a>) and have hacked and infiltrated other countries before have open access to cutting edge technology.<p>During university, I've heard from a chinese student (From China), who's dad owned a high tech factory. He told me the plan was to get a job at the most reputable tech firm in that industry, and learn from it, then bring it back to his dad.
If China didn't have a massive state-sponsored corporate espionage program these students would have a case. But China does, so the students are going to have to deal with the vetting required to make sure they aren't a part of it.
It is the same situation for Indian students, but due to visa and green card quotas and long processing delays. I'm hoping this leads to a boon for the Indian technology sector, which has already seen a resurgence over the last few years.
The American Manhattan Project came about because Germany forced a lot of Jewish scientists out of their research jobs in the thirties.<p>Those scientists moved to the States, which was America's gain and Germany's loss when lots of Weapons Research happened during the forties.<p>America seems determined to lose out when Chinese scientists are barred from US jobs, or when Chinese space engineers are refused any interaction with NASA.
I've heard that AI and semicon are going on the export control list, and even a US national communicating knowledge with someone is a "deemed export". Does this mean all Chinese H1-Bs are going to be barred from working at Microsoft, Google, Intel, and Qualcomm?
How many advantages does America have left if China gains a decisive edge in its research capabilities?<p>I count military and control of the international monetary system. That isn't a winning hand unless the Chinese shoot themselves in the foot with corruption or a return to their communist roots.
Who, exactly, doesn't understand that the US university system requires a certain number of grad students to have the research output it produces, and a great way to close that gap would be to improve secondary education in the US?<p>Also, I have a bit of ill will toward US universities that turns down US students in favor of Chinese students. I'm looking at you, UCSD.